Turban Legend

Who is R.. Zamora Linmark??  Poet, novelist, and playwright R. Zamora Linmark was born in Manila, Philippines and has lived in Honolulu, Madrid, and Tokyo. He earned a BA from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. His books include the poetry collections Prime-Time Apparitions (2005), The Evolution of a Sigh (2008), and Drive-By Vigils (2011) and the novels Rolling the R’s (1995), which Linmark adapted for the stage in 2008, and Leche (2011). His writing often deals with Filipino/a American stereotypes. Linmark was awarded a fellowship from the Japan-United States Friendship Commission and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fulbright Foundation. He has taught at the University of Hawai‘i and the University of Miami.

Turban Legend (Excerpt from Leche) By R. Zamora Linmark This is a story about Vince who is a Filipino and is currently living in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is observing the people around him at the Honolulu International Airport. He seemed to have eyed at his “kababayan” or fellow Filipinos. Vince mentions the fact that when Filipinos are going back to their families in the Philippines, they bring so many balikbayan boxes. These boxes are filled with canned goods like SPAM and Libby’s Vienna sausage, designer jeans (new or hand-me-down), travel sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion.

But Vince also points out that these items inside the balikbayan boxes can be easily purchased at Duty Free which is outside the airport. Vince also mentioned a story that was told by his older sister Jing, wherein an engineer talked his roommate into checking him in as an excess baggage which was cheaper that a round-trip fare. But the man died of hypothermia. Vince didn’t buy the story and said that there were too many loopholes. It was a “turban legend.” Jing said that, “You’re missing the point, brother.” “It’s not the mechanics that matter.” “It’s about drama. The extremes a Filipino will go to just to go back home for Christmas with his family.”

There are many Filipinos working abroad and sacrificing to give their families a better life. I salute them for being courageous enough to face the different cultures and traditions and accepting it, being brave enough to leave home, and not being with your family to celebrate birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. I am grateful that both of my parents are here to guide me and my siblings in the right direction. I thank them for working very hard and for giving us what we need. Remember to always be grateful.

1. Why do Filipinos Love balikbayan boxes? Filipinos love balikbayan boxes because for them it means that it is the love of the sender through the “pasalubong” or gift, where it contains many things like appliances, clothes, perfume, shampoos and many other things that are branded and came from America or any other country.

2. Why do you think the boxes symbolize? Why do they seem to be more important than their contents? I think it symbolizes as love for the family and friends. Balikbayan seems to be important than their contents because it means to the Filipinos that you will always remember them even though you are very far from each other.

3. When the narrator notes the Filipino-ness of the balikbayan boxes, what does he feel toward his fellow Filipinos? For me, I think the author feels proud towards his fellow Filipino. In this story he shows that we shouldn’t be ashamed of being a Filipino Citizen because he elevated the good attitude of Filipino towards culture and family even in a small things like remembering them through balikbayan boxes.

4. What does the airport symbolize? I think the airport symbolize as a “warehouse” or storage of the Balikbayan boxes. Because in the phrase “Everywhere Vince turns are boxes, boxes and more boxes.” The author describe the setting of the airport like a storage or warehouse.

5. What do you think is the real message behind the anecdote or the “turban legend”? I think the real message of the anecdote is that Filipinos will always love their families by remembering them. Through that balikbayan boxes, it can say that love will always prevails even though you are far away from each other.

6. Do you think that Filipinos who live or work abroad suffer from homesickness? Explain your answer. In the Philippines there is a saying that, “Iba pa rin talaga kapag nasa sariling bansa.” And because of that, I think they suffer from homesickness. In my experience, my Aunt who works in abroad is always saying that they misses us and she alwayswanted to go home. Because she struggles to express her feelings because of the language barrier towards foreign people and most importantly, family is always the best listener and adviser on when you have a problem.

7. The author luggage is Louis Vuitton. How does that help characterize the narrator? Louis Vuitton is a Brand name of a Bagsthatcost or worth a half to one million pesos and because of that “Louis Vuitton” word, I think it helps me to characterize the narrator as a wealthy man.

8. Do you think when the Filipinos are abroad, they are proud of being a Filipino? Why or why not? I think that Filipinos who are in abroad are proud of being a Filipino. Because OFW or even Filipinos who migrated in a certain country, they always apply the culture of the Filipino in other foreign people, like for example when they are raising a foreign child, they accept or treat him as her own child or as part of a family by teaching him our culture like being courteous to the olds and may other things and that’s only one reason why Filipinos should be proud of being a Filipino.

9. The title “Turban Legend” is a play on words to a phrase “urban legend”. What does “urban legend” mean? Why was it change to “Turban Legend”? In Meriam Webster Dictionary, Urban legend is a story about an unusual event or occurrence that many people believe is true but that is not true. And I think it is change to turban legend because in my own opinion the anecdote is said to be true about Filipinos about balikbayan boxes but because of story of Jing that has many loopholes or unexplained things it makes the anecdote unbelievable and looks like an urban legend.

10. What is the significance of the story? The importance or essence of the story is that in the Filipino culture, Family are the most important thing on earth that should always be remembered even though you are miles away from them. The things in the balikbayan boxes that are expensive is not only a “gift” but it represents the love of the sender to their family.